Search

Search Results

• 1. [Article] Migration, movement, and habitat use of humpback whitefish (Coregonus pidschian) in the Copper River Delta, Alaska

  Research conducted on humpback whitefish Coregonus pidschian in the Copper River Delta, Alaska has revealed a complex life history involving seasonal migrations and the occupation of a variety of freshwater ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Migration, movement, and habitat use of humpback whitefish (Coregonus pidschian) in the Copper River Delta, Alaska Author: Neilson, Brian J. Research conducted on humpback whitefish Coregonus pidschian in the Copper River Delta, Alaska has revealed a complex life history involving seasonal migrations and the occupation of a variety of freshwater and marine habitats including lacustrine, riverine, estuarine, and marine. Forty-five whitefish were tagged with radio transmitters in 2006 and 2007, and another 29 whitefish were tagged with acoustic tags in 2008. In addition, otolith chemistry was used to evaluate marine habitat use of humpback whitefish sampled from McKinley Lake in the Copper River Delta, Alaska. Movements and migration of tagged fish were tracked using biotelemetry techniques from boats, airplanes, and fixed receiver stations throughout the spring, summer, and fall. Sagittal otoliths were extracted from 20 humpback whitefish and a chemical analysis was performed to evaluate levels of Sr:Ca. Biotelemetry and sampling results revealed seasonal migrations where humpback whitefish migrated into McKinley Lake in mid to late spring and left the lake by late summer and early fall. Fish migrated to the Copper River in the fall by traveling down Alaganik Slough and then to the Copper River by traveling through Pete Dahl Cutoff Slough or the Gulf of Alaska. Fish travel up the Copper River presumably to their spawning grounds. Nine tagged fish returned to McKinley Lake in 2007 and four tagged fish in 2008, indicating some fidelity to the summer feeding site. Otolith chemistry detected marine migrations in 45% of the samples. Three migratory behaviors were observed, while some individuals inhabited only freshwater environments, some individuals made single migrations to marine habitats, and other individuals made multiple migrations to marine habitats. Age of whitefish ranged from 2 to 9 years. Analysis of small-scale movement of humpback whitefish in McKinley Lake found movement rates to be significantly higher at dusk compared to night in one sampling period. However, diel movement activity in all other diel periods did not significantly differ, suggesting arrhythmic diel movement. A large portion of the lake was occupied at any given time, but not all areas were used equally. Activity levels, measured by change in zones, were variable between dates and indicated that fish often moved between detection zones. An increase in activity was observed in individuals 48 h prior to migration from the lake. This study provides the first documentation of migration, movement, and habitat use of humpback whitefish in the Copper River Delta, Alaska. Results of this study will help inform management of humpback whitefish in order to sustain populations into the future. This information should be considered in land use and species management planning in the Copper River basin including fish passage and harvest regulations. Title: Migration, movement, and habitat use of humpback whitefish (Coregonus pidschian) in the Copper River Delta, Alaska Author: Neilson, Brian J. Research conducted on humpback whitefish Coregonus pidschian in the Copper River Delta, Alaska has revealed a complex life history involving seasonal migrations and the occupation of a variety of freshwater and marine habitats including lacustrine, riverine, estuarine, and marine. Forty-five whitefish were tagged with radio transmitters in 2006 and 2007, and another 29 whitefish were tagged with acoustic tags in 2008. In addition, otolith chemistry was used to evaluate marine habitat use of humpback whitefish sampled from McKinley Lake in the Copper River Delta, Alaska. Movements and migration of tagged fish were tracked using biotelemetry techniques from boats, airplanes, and fixed receiver stations throughout the spring, summer, and fall. Sagittal otoliths were extracted from 20 humpback whitefish and a chemical analysis was performed to evaluate levels of Sr:Ca. Biotelemetry and sampling results revealed seasonal migrations where humpback whitefish migrated into McKinley Lake in mid to late spring and left the lake by late summer and early fall. Fish migrated to the Copper River in the fall by traveling down Alaganik Slough and then to the Copper River by traveling through Pete Dahl Cutoff Slough or the Gulf of Alaska. Fish travel up the Copper River presumably to their spawning grounds. Nine tagged fish returned to McKinley Lake in 2007 and four tagged fish in 2008, indicating some fidelity to the summer feeding site. Otolith chemistry detected marine migrations in 45% of the samples. Three migratory behaviors were observed, while some individuals inhabited only freshwater environments, some individuals made single migrations to marine habitats, and other individuals made multiple migrations to marine habitats. Age of whitefish ranged from 2 to 9 years. Analysis of small-scale movement of humpback whitefish in McKinley Lake found movement rates to be significantly higher at dusk compared to night in one sampling period. However, diel movement activity in all other diel periods did not significantly differ, suggesting arrhythmic diel movement. A large portion of the lake was occupied at any given time, but not all areas were used equally. Activity levels, measured by change in zones, were variable between dates and indicated that fish often moved between detection zones. An increase in activity was observed in individuals 48 h prior to migration from the lake. This study provides the first documentation of migration, movement, and habitat use of humpback whitefish in the Copper River Delta, Alaska. Results of this study will help inform management of humpback whitefish in order to sustain populations into the future. This information should be considered in land use and species management planning in the Copper River basin including fish passage and harvest regulations. Close

• 2. [Article] Factors associated with dusky Canada goose nesting and nest success on artificial nest islands of the western Copper River Delta

  The population of dusky Canada geese (Branta canadensis occidentalis; hereafter, dusky geese) nesting on the western Copper River Delta (CRD) in south- central Alaska has been in decline since the late ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Factors associated with dusky Canada goose nesting and nest success on artificial nest islands of the western Copper River Delta Author: Maggiulli, Nicole Marie The population of dusky Canada geese (Branta canadensis occidentalis; hereafter, dusky geese) nesting on the western Copper River Delta (CRD) in south- central Alaska has been in decline since the late 1970s. In an effort to alleviate mammalian predation, increase nest success, and avoid a listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, an artificial nest island (island) program was implemented on the western CRD in 1983. The installation of new islands on the CRD is the sole management action of the Pacific Flyway Council on the breeding grounds, but no comprehensive evaluation of the program has been published. I examined general trends in island use and nest success over time for three island types (donut islands, fiberglass floater islands, and sandbag islands) from 1984-2005. I used data from the island program to identify factors associated with dusky Canada goose nesting (hereafter, use) and nest success on islands from 1996-2005. I generated a series of candidate models and used logistic regression with model selection techniques to determine how variables representing pond characteristics, vegetative characteristics, interactions with conspecifics and larid species, the previous year’s island status, and the distance to predator corridors were associated with island use and nest success for each year. Use of islands by dusky geese nesting on the western CRD increased between 1987 and 2005 from a low of 10% in 1987 to 44% in 2005. There was annual variability in factors associated with island use; however, use of islands was most consistently and strongly associated with the previous year’s island status. The odds of a nest being placed on an island that contained a successful nest the previous year were 2.91 to 6.62 times greater than for islands not used the previous year. There was also evidence for an increased likelihood of island use further from shore and for islands with up to 55% aerial shrub cover and shrubs up to 1 m tall. Nest success was consistently high, indicating islands have long term potential for increasing dusky goose nest success on the Copper River Delta. Compared to island use, my analysis of nest success and habitat features resulted in many more competitive models (average 10 v. 2 per year) with fewer strong (95% confidence intervals for parameter estimates excluded zero) associations between explanatory variables and nest success. Explanatory variables representing vegetative characteristics, interactions with conspecifics and larid species, and the distance to predator corridors had a relatively low capacity to explain nest success on artificial islands. However, there was some evidence for an increased likelihood of nest success on islands further from shore with shorter shrubs. Lower variability in factors associated with island use is likely because factors associated with nest site selection are controlled by decisions of the nesting goose. The importance of previous year’s island status on island use likely reflects high site fidelity by breeding adult geese, with fidelity being higher for birds that have successful nests. Alternately, dusky geese use cues from the previous year’s nesting activity when prospecting for island nest sites. In contrast, nest success is dependent on a more complex combination of factors that vary within and among years outside the control of a nesting goose. Inter-annual variation in the timing and magnitude of eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus) spawning runs on large sloughs of the CRD and prey-switching by important dusky goose nest predators may have considerable influence on dusky goose nest success on islands, similar to mainland- nesting dusky geese. The inability to control for eulachon presence and abundance may have confounded my analysis of habitat features important to nest success. Therefore, factors such as presence of alternate prey (and predator abundance) may be more important to dusky goose nest success on islands than habitat features. Current use of available nest islands is at a program high of 44% and nest success also remains high (63%); suggesting the artificial nest island program is valuable for dusky geese. However, the contribution of island-nesting dusky geese to the dusky goose population on the Copper River Delta is unclear. There is a need for a population model that incorporates all recent information on dusky goose reproductive ecology to determine if artificial nest islands can increase dusky goose population size, and if so, how many islands are needed. Title: Factors associated with dusky Canada goose nesting and nest success on artificial nest islands of the western Copper River Delta Author: Maggiulli, Nicole Marie The population of dusky Canada geese (Branta canadensis occidentalis; hereafter, dusky geese) nesting on the western Copper River Delta (CRD) in south- central Alaska has been in decline since the late 1970s. In an effort to alleviate mammalian predation, increase nest success, and avoid a listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, an artificial nest island (island) program was implemented on the western CRD in 1983. The installation of new islands on the CRD is the sole management action of the Pacific Flyway Council on the breeding grounds, but no comprehensive evaluation of the program has been published. I examined general trends in island use and nest success over time for three island types (donut islands, fiberglass floater islands, and sandbag islands) from 1984-2005. I used data from the island program to identify factors associated with dusky Canada goose nesting (hereafter, use) and nest success on islands from 1996-2005. I generated a series of candidate models and used logistic regression with model selection techniques to determine how variables representing pond characteristics, vegetative characteristics, interactions with conspecifics and larid species, the previous year’s island status, and the distance to predator corridors were associated with island use and nest success for each year. Use of islands by dusky geese nesting on the western CRD increased between 1987 and 2005 from a low of 10% in 1987 to 44% in 2005. There was annual variability in factors associated with island use; however, use of islands was most consistently and strongly associated with the previous year’s island status. The odds of a nest being placed on an island that contained a successful nest the previous year were 2.91 to 6.62 times greater than for islands not used the previous year. There was also evidence for an increased likelihood of island use further from shore and for islands with up to 55% aerial shrub cover and shrubs up to 1 m tall. Nest success was consistently high, indicating islands have long term potential for increasing dusky goose nest success on the Copper River Delta. Compared to island use, my analysis of nest success and habitat features resulted in many more competitive models (average 10 v. 2 per year) with fewer strong (95% confidence intervals for parameter estimates excluded zero) associations between explanatory variables and nest success. Explanatory variables representing vegetative characteristics, interactions with conspecifics and larid species, and the distance to predator corridors had a relatively low capacity to explain nest success on artificial islands. However, there was some evidence for an increased likelihood of nest success on islands further from shore with shorter shrubs. Lower variability in factors associated with island use is likely because factors associated with nest site selection are controlled by decisions of the nesting goose. The importance of previous year’s island status on island use likely reflects high site fidelity by breeding adult geese, with fidelity being higher for birds that have successful nests. Alternately, dusky geese use cues from the previous year’s nesting activity when prospecting for island nest sites. In contrast, nest success is dependent on a more complex combination of factors that vary within and among years outside the control of a nesting goose. Inter-annual variation in the timing and magnitude of eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus) spawning runs on large sloughs of the CRD and prey-switching by important dusky goose nest predators may have considerable influence on dusky goose nest success on islands, similar to mainland- nesting dusky geese. The inability to control for eulachon presence and abundance may have confounded my analysis of habitat features important to nest success. Therefore, factors such as presence of alternate prey (and predator abundance) may be more important to dusky goose nest success on islands than habitat features. Current use of available nest islands is at a program high of 44% and nest success also remains high (63%); suggesting the artificial nest island program is valuable for dusky geese. However, the contribution of island-nesting dusky geese to the dusky goose population on the Copper River Delta is unclear. There is a need for a population model that incorporates all recent information on dusky goose reproductive ecology to determine if artificial nest islands can increase dusky goose population size, and if so, how many islands are needed. Close